Germanicus

She'd moved on from Marsus and was talking to a pale plump woman in a subfusc mantle and a big guy with baggy jowls like a pig's cheeks.

'Oh, Marcus, there you are,' she said. 'Come and meet Acutia and her husband Publius Vitellius.'

We nodded at each other. Vitellius gave me the look I was beginning to recognise: a sharp, summing glance that was just on the polite side of unfriendly.

'Your wife's just been telling us about her stepfather.' Acutia may've looked like a pigeon but her voice and manner were pure mouse. I had to bend close to hear all the words. 'So fascinating, to have a famous poet for a relative. And how rewarding it must have been artistically.'

'Did you ever meet Ovidius Naso, Corvinus?' Vitellius asked. The guy had all the presence his wife lacked. You felt that if they ever caught you these jaws would crunch you up.

'No. My uncle knew him well, though.'

'Ah, the present consul. How is that gentleman?'

Ouch. I could recognise sarcasm when I heard it. I was beginning to wonder if Cotta had any friends at all. 'He was fine when I left,' I said.

'I understand he had…well, certain circumstances to thank for his elevation. Not unconnected with yourself.'

'Yeah? Is that so?' I was surprised, and cautious: it wasn't often I met anyone who knew about the Ovid business. But then Vitellius had been pretty close to Germanicus and the guy had other high-powered connections. 'You know more than I do, then. Cotta deserved his consul's chair. As much as anyone usually does.'

Vitellius pulled at his earlobe — I noticed the tip of his right index finger was missing — and frowned: on that face it was like a crease in a lump of dough. 'Perhaps you're right,' he said. 'Certainly Cotta Maximus is in good company. If that word isn't inappropriate where favouritism is concerned.'

Bastard! Even Acutia had caught that one. She tugged gently at the hem of his mantle. 'Now, now, dear,’ she said. ‘No politics.'

'Vitellius is the governor's assistant, Marcus,' Perilla said quickly. 'On the finance side.'

'Really?' I tried my best for a polite smile. 'I wondered why you weren't in uniform, sir. You were a legate on the Rhine, weren't you?'

I caught a look in his eye I couldn't quite place, but maybe I was imagining things: the eyes were so sunk into the podge that you hardly noticed them. 'That's right. I was,’ he said. ‘But I've found my talents lie more in administration.'

'And in forensics.'

He frowned again. 'No, Corvinus. Not at all. Certainly my last venture into that field was…unsuccessful.'

'You mean nailing Piso and Plancina on a poisoning rap?'

'Indeed.' I'd gone too far, even with that innocent little probe. The guy had stiffened up like he'd been cemented from the inside. 'So how are you finding our city? A change from Rome, no doubt?'

Hell. We were back to temples and statues. Acutia blossomed, and talked column proportions with Perilla. Then Lamia drifted over with a horse-faced female on his arm.

'You're enjoying yourself, Corvinus?' he said.

'Uh, yeah. Yes, very much, sir.' I avoided Perilla's eye.

'That's good. My wife Caecilia Gemella.' The horse face nodded benignly at me. I remembered Giton's stable and wondered if maybe I should scratch her nose, or even blow up her nostrils. 'And so this is the lovely Rufia Perilla. We haven't had a chance to talk, my dear. I hear you don't need my services after all over accommodation.'

'No, governor.' Perilla smiled at him. 'But thank you in any case.'

I'd been watching the interplay between Lamia and Vitellius. It was interesting: the two were friendly enough — they'd nodded to each other when the governor had come over — but there was a wariness I couldn't account for. And the wives, as Perilla had said earlier, obviously didn't get on at alclass="underline" Acutia was stuck to her husband's arm like a limpet, and her eyes never left his face. Caecilia had ignored her completely.

'Apropos,' Lamia was saying to Perilla. 'Domitius Celer was telling me you were enquiring about possible picnic sites.'

Perilla gave me a sharp glance. 'Well, yes,' she said. 'Marcus did mention picnics the other day. He's quite a fresh-air fiend.'

The governor laughed. 'A more common trait of character here than in Rome, although even so as a good Roman not one I'd endorse.' He turned to me. 'Celer said someone recommended the Beroea direction to you, Corvinus. Personally I would've thought the other way would be better, south towards Daphne. You'd agree, Vitellius?'

The pudgy eyes were fixed on me. 'Oh. yes,' Vitellius said. 'Most definitely. Certainly from the health aspect.'

Uh-huh. 'Yeah, thanks, gentlemen,' I said. 'Thanks a lot. Nice to know you're all together in this. I'll bear it in mind.'

'You do that,' Lamia said blandly. 'Daphne's perfect for fresh-air fiends like you. Stick to that side of the city and you won't go far wrong.' He turned back to Perilla. 'And now, my dear, you must tell me where you found that beautiful Egyptian perfume jar.'

So. Lamia, Celer and Vitellius. Whatever the exact relationship was between these guys — and it wasn't a straightforward one, I could see that — they were all on the same side. That didn't augur well, not well at all. Like Celer had said, I was in a minority of one. Whatever was being covered up it was major, and the cover-up was official; at least official as far as the local authorities were concerned. The thing was, with beef like that on the opposition benches would we get anywhere at all?

The party was still in full swing when we said our thank-you's and went home. Sure, I was glad at least to have run across Celer and Vitellius, but the whole affair had basically been a downer. I'd expected someone, somewhere to be on my side, or at least neutral. What I'd got was a general conspiracy of silence; and I was beginning to feel like a sprat in a pond of hungry lampreys.

Still, I had to talk to Taurus yet.

29

He came round the following afternoon. I was taking a nap out in the garden when Critias showed him through.

'Hey, Taurus!' I said when he'd prodded me awake. 'We said tomorrow.'

'Count yourself lucky I came at all.' The guy looked jaundiced as hell. 'I'm standing Junia up for this.'

'That the girl in red you were talking to last night?' I indicated a chair and sent Critias off for the wine.

'Yeah.' He sat down. 'So you owe me one, pal. A big one. Okay?'

Perilla came through from the direction of the kitchens. 'Corvinus,' she said, 'Meton and Lysias are quarrelling again over the best way to truss a chicken. Honestly, this has to stop.'

Taurus's eyes had lit up when he saw her. I knew the signs. 'Whistle and I'll kill you,' I said. 'Perilla, this is Statilius Taurus. He broke my wrist when we were kids. He also gets his days mixed.'

'Really?' Perilla smiled at him and sat down on the bench beside the box hedge. 'Pleased to meet you, Taurus. I was sorry to have missed you at the governor's party.'

'I'm sorry about that too,' he said. Personally, I wasn't. The guy was leering, and that was bad news.

Critias came back out with the wine and Perilla's fruit juice. I was gradually getting him trained; another month and there'd be no time lag at all. 'So,' I said as he poured for us. 'What caused the change of plan?'

Taurus drank. 'The bastard's sending me back to Cyrrhus.'

'Who? Celer?'

'Celer's got no jurisdiction over me. The order's personal, from the governor.'